Disclaimer: I don't own Angel, Alice, or all related characters; you know the drill.

Feedback: I'd appreciate it

AN: This story begins in the early 1920s- I can't provide a specific date because we never learned it ourselves-; other relevant information will be provided later on

Angels with Bloody Teeth

In a distant field several miles from human habitation, a figure crouched in the grasses and stared out at the city before him, a grimly contemplative expression on his face that was at odds with the apparently expensive suit he wore.

The vampire once known as Angelus might have appreciated his time in America for the chance to get away from the memories of his life before he got his soul- it was hard enough adjusting to the fact that he could suddenly experience guilt for his crimes; he didn't need to face the physical evidence of his past sins in the form of the areas he'd been back in those days-, but there were times when he longed for the simplicity of conversation with someone else; he might not deserve human company, but that didn't mean he didn't miss having someone safe to talk to.

The problem was that there was nobody who would talk to him in his current 'condition'; most of his kind would kill him because of what he was if he could even bring his conscience to ignore what they did to feed, and virtually every other being who knew what he was would just look down on him because of the demonic 'pecking order' and his place on it.

He had made his choice to isolate himself for the safety of others, but would it be asking too much for him to have someone to talk to...?

A faint feeling of movement from behind him prompted him to glance back, but for a moment he failed to see any sign that someone else had been present until his nose detected a faint trace of a very distinctive scent in the air.

Cold Ones? he thought to himself in confusion, getting back to his feet and slowly making his way towards the source of the scent, his body tensed even as his curiosity forced down his natural instincts.

The two breeds of vampire might not have that much contact with each other, but he knew enough to be on the alert; from what he remembered of his time as Angelus, the Cold Ones were speculated to be affiliated with the original vampire demon, manifesting as a purer, stronger 'breed' of vampire without most of his kind's weaknesses at the cost of it being harder for them to blend in with the general public and a stronger thirst than the one he suffered from himself. The idea of one being anywhere near him might not be anything too serious given how quickly it had left after he'd sensed its presence- it was unlikely the Cold One had even been aware he was there, given that he'd been downwind of it-, but that didn't mean it wasn't puzzling...

Then his eyes fell on the source, and he couldn't help but stare in shock at the sight.

Lying on the ground in front of him, dressed only in a white robe that had clearly seen better days, was a tiny dark-haired girl with close-cropped hair, her body writhing in agony from what could only be the venom of the Cold Ones as it flowed through her system, the distinctive wound on the side of her neck all the evidence he needed to determine what had happened to her. Since the scent around her was already noticeably weaker than it had been earlier, she must have been left here by someone else- particularly since the blood still leaking from her neck suggested that she had been bitten only recently-, but that didn't answer any questions about why she was here...

As he stood there, staring uncertainly at the figure in front of him, a thought occurred to the watcher.

The Cold Ones were said to retain their souls during their transformation; the main reason they fed on human blood was the improved taste of it and the overwhelming thirst they felt as 'newborns' making it hard for them to control their urge to feed on humans.

Whoever this girl was, judging by her current solitude- and he wasn't going to even try and trick himself into thinking that this was something she'd wanted; nobody turned someone and then just left them out here like this-, she clearly hadn't asked for this to happen to her, which meant that she would wake up with a ravaging thirst that she couldn't understand and may not even be capable of controlling if she was left on her own.

Vampiric prejudices aside, he was more than what he'd been now, and whoever this girl was, she clearly needed someone to be there for her if her sire apparently couldn't or wouldn't take responsibility himself.

He might have turned Drusilla into a monster, but that was before he got his soul; wasn't it possible that the girl in front of him represented a second chance to shape a new identity to a more positive goal?

The vampire who'd once been known as Angelus crouched down beside the still-writhing figure and lifted her up in her arms, his enhanced strength barely even required for him to lift the small form despite her mutating physiology.

He just hoped that the house he'd seen earlier on his walk was as isolated as it looked; he was fairly sure that nobody lived there right now, but if anyone still owned the property, it might be enough for it to be considered a residence by the invitation rule that restricted his kind's activities...

Still, right now all he could do was hope for the best; if the house was indeed abandoned, it would make the perfect place for him to wait for this girl to complete her transformation and begin her lessons in her new way of life.

AN 2: To clarify for those who might not know, the girl Angel's discovered is meant to be Alice shortly after she was turned and abandoned by the doctor who wanted to protect her from James; I got the idea for this plot after I noted that she only met Jasper in the fifties, which leaves a ridiculous amount of time for us to realistically believe that she managed to try and stop herself from drinking human blood while completely alone- particularly during the newborn years- with only visions that she may not have fully understood at first to show her that there was another way.

AN 3: I have a plan for this story drawn up already, including some reference to what we know of Angel's activities between now and the Second World War, but if anyone has anything they want to suggest for him and Alice to encounter during this time frame, feel free to suggest it.

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